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SOLD Omega Seamaster 300 (SM300) “WatchCo” Date Cal. 565 Ref 166.0324/165.024: $2475

  1. ffej4 Survey Man Jan 24, 2017

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    ***PLEASE READ THIS DESCRIPTION IN FULL BEFORE PURCHASING OR ASKING QUESTIONS***

    For sale is a recently-constructed Omega Seamaster 300. It comes with a couple of extra winding stems, all Omega packaging and purchase paperwork, and a PhenomeNato Bond strap. Please review the payment and price options below.

    Payment & Price Option 1: $2,475 via bank wire. Price is non-negotiable as I believe this is a fair price given the watch being sold. This will include USPS Priority shipping. This is the mandatory method for buyers lacking references, and the cheaper method for all others hoping to save 3%.

    Payment & Price Option 2: $2,575 via PayPal. Price is non-negotiable as I believe this is a fair price given the watch being sold. This will include USPS Priority shipping. Option available only to members with established profiles and multiple positive buying/selling references.

    For the bracelet only: $300 AND SOLD.

    References: I ask that all buyers provide their references prior to purchase. Personally, I have many references available on Watchuseek, Omega Forums, and on eBay. Google “ffej4” to see my history on the forums, and check eBay for "TheFfej4".

    Backstory & Remarks: After spending almost two months acquiring parts, I had my SM300 constructed by a longtime Bozeman watchmaker who happens to be the owner of The Last Windup. I intended to have this SM300 be my daily wearer, but I have decided to purchase a Speedmaster since. A Speedy has always been #1 on my to-own list.

    I ordered the case, hand set, and winding stems from Cousins UK, the dial from WatchCo Australia, and the movement, bracelet, case screws, and case clamps from a variety of eBay sellers. Prior to construction, all parts were 100% brand new, sealed in Omega packaging. The only exception to this was the 565 movement, as it came from an old donor watch.

    The Case ---------
    The case has a few small lug markings from strap changes. The bezel clicks are firm and precise with virtually no side-to-side play. The insert is slightly off-centered (this is a common phenomenon with these SM300 service cases). Other than these notes, the case is essentially flawless with the sticker still on the caseback.

    Included with this sale will be my 20mm Bond PhenomeNato strap. I love this strap, and the only reason I'm including it is (a) it looks AWESOME on the watch and (b) I have 3 more on the way!

    Paperwork & Invoices ---------
    I have all paperwork associated with my Cousin’s UK purchase and WatchCo Australia along with the original Omega packaging of the case, dial, and hands. The paperwork will be included with the sale, with redactions made where necessary.

    The Movement ---------
    The movement is very clean and rust-free. It looks great for being 50 years old. During the SM300's assembly, the watchmaker has noted one hiccup: the date change function while the mainspring has a low amount of remaining power or when nearing midnight is finicky. Coming directly from the watchmaker, "recently it has been that if I have it on the auto-winder, everything seems to work fine. When I remove it and let it run down, it invariably will stop prior to the date flipping over [around 11:00pm]. This can happen as there is more strain on the movement to actuate the date change... but it shouldn't when there is sufficient power." I'd recommend having a watchmaker perform a full service on this movement before expecting the watch to perform with precision, especially with regards to the date function. Other than the date change issues that occur around 11:00pm, there are no other notable malfunctions.

    From my personal inspection, I have noticed that, when the watch nears midnight (around 10:30pm or 11:00pm when the date actuation begins), the movement will slow down or stop. The date switch happens with 100% success only when the watch is on an auto winder (or with mainspring power at 100%).Does this movement need to be fully serviced? I don't think so. The date function can be fixed and then things should run fine. However, if one chose to have the movement serviced from an independent watchmaker, I'd imagine that there would be a $200 – $300 fee for doing so.

    Closing Remarks ---------
    This is as about as pristine as it gets. This watch is easily TZ 99% on the surface without factoring in the movement hiccup. The movement is in very nice physical condition, but should be serviced to ensure consistent accuracy. Note that these SM300 parts are becoming extremely difficult and expensive to acquire, and once the remaining parts have been bought off of the free market, these "NOS" (more accurately "service") SM300s will no longer be a viable option for the general public.

    Contact ----------
    Please feel free to send me questions and I will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also reach me at my cell by text or call: (406) 781-0478.

    PLEASE NOTE:This watch is sold AS-IS, meaning that performance is not guaranteed. Please use the listing information and pictures, and please ensure that you ask me all questions prior to committing to a purchase. Please assume that a full movement service and inspection by a watchmaker should be performed prior to subjecting this timepiece to extreme environments or expecting consistent accuracy. I DO NOT DO RETURNS.

    View attachment 335560 SM2.jpg View attachment 339367 View attachment 339368 View attachment 339369 View attachment 339370 View attachment 339371 View attachment 339372 View attachment 339373 View attachment 339374 View attachment 339375 IMG_9033.JPG IMG_9034.JPG View attachment 339378 View attachment 339379 IMG_9038.JPG IMG_9097.JPG IMG_9098.JPG IMG_9099.JPG IMG_9100.JPG IMG_9101.JPG IMG_9102.JPG IMG_9104.JPG
     
    Edited Feb 19, 2017
  2. ffej4 Survey Man Jan 25, 2017

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    Daily bump.
     
  3. ffej4 Survey Man Jan 26, 2017

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    Daily bump.
     
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  5. ffej4 Survey Man Jan 28, 2017

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    Okay, I will make some new offers to move this beautiful piece from my collection:

    1. I will include the NATO strap pictured. It is from Phenomenato, it is NOT an Omega strap. It is a 20mm long Bond strap. I've written a detail on these and think they are absolutely awesome. Perhaps not quite the same as an Omega strap, but certainly very close. These retail for $40.

    2. I will offer an alternative payment method to reduce the price by 3.1%, or about $100. You must have a solid list of buying/seller references; other forms of feedback will help. That would bring the price down to $2,995. Please PM me for details.
     
  6. ffej4 Survey Man Jan 29, 2017

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  7. ffej4 Survey Man Jan 31, 2017

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    Event horizon likes this.
  8. ffej4 Survey Man Feb 1, 2017

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  10. Scepticalist Feb 3, 2017

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    Did your watchmaker not give any indication of why the movement is not operating correctly?
     
  11. ffej4 Survey Man Feb 3, 2017

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    Thanks for the question! He seemed to be unsure exactly what the single fix may be. He had suggested that the mainspring barrels could be replaced, or that there was simply too much resistance on the date spring (which I believed he fiddled with). He did think that the issue was directly related to parts involved with the date mechanism, as everything else (beat rate, amplitude, the physical condition of the movement) checked out just fine.

    His initial suggestion was to disassemble the movement and go through with an overhaul, as that would be the best way to find a surefire solution to the issue and see if there are any other parts that need to be replaced.

    The reason he didn't delve too far into this issue is because I had paid him only to assemble the watch. A service or movement work was not in the budget at the moment, and I had already decided to take the plunge into the Speedmaster world, hence why the watch is listed with the date issue.

    I've emailed Dave to ask for a more specific answer to this question. I'm not super technical when it comes to movement intricacies, but I imagine he'd be able to formulate a better answer to your question than I can. Once he responds, I'll update the thread.

    UPDATE: Below is Dave's response.

    "Hi Jeff,

    Not intentionally being evasive, but I think less offered is probably better. Be that as it may, the clamps and screws were modified to fit better... or at least I thought necessary. Also, the center sweep pinion was replaced as the old one had a slight bend. As far as the date issues... it might be that the spring that pushes the date lever into the date wheel is too strong.

    I hope this helps to a degree....

    All the best,

    db"
     
    Edited Feb 3, 2017
  12. ffej4 Survey Man Feb 4, 2017

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  17. ffej4 Survey Man Feb 11, 2017

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    Taking offers
     
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  20. ffej4 Survey Man Feb 14, 2017

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